
The Effects of True Worship
LESSON 10
Part 2
TRUE WORSHIP
DEVELOPS
FELLOWSHIP
1 Cor. 12:25, 26
❑
Monday
February
28
"That there should be no schism in the body; but that
the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer
with it; or one member be honored, all the members
rejoice with it."
When worship is conducted rightly, the effect upon the wor-
shipers is very real. No stranger will remain ungreeted, no
invalid unvisited, no unfortunate member unbefriended, no
needy person unassisted, no missing Sabbath School member
neglected or unassisted. When bereavement strikes a family,
all the members feel the stroke. When one member or one fam-
ily is honored, all the rest should rejoice. This admonition to
rejoice in another's success is often more difficult to carry out
than the counsel to sympathize with those who mourn.
Fellowship is one of God's choicest words. And unless the
church enters into such fellowship, we come far short of God's
purpose for us.
The effect of true worship will be seen in the home, in the
office, in the classroom, on the farm, in our business and social
relationships. The one who comes home from the worship
service and scolds the family or kicks the dog has not really
worshiped. The effects of true worship are seen in every act
of life.
A church that is rich in money, in ideas, in apparatus and
numbers, but poor in love, comes far short of Christ's stan-
dard. One of our old-time leaders once passed on a remark
that revealed much thought. He said, "If only our members
would live up to the religion in their hymnbooks, it would be
wonderful." Yes, our hymns express Christian love. And we
often sing these lustily, but to live out the theology and
Christian admonition in these hymns is not always easy. But
by God's grace we can.
What did Jesus say should be the measure of our love
for the church? John 15:12.
THINK IT THROUGH
Do I truly love my church? Can my friends feel the
love of God emanating from my life?
"Love is not simply an impulse, a
transitory emotion, dependent upon
circumstances; it is a living principle, a
permanent power. The soul is fed by
the streams of pure love that flow from
the heart of Christ, as a wellspring that
never fails. . . . Under the education
and discipline of the Holy Spirit, the
children of God love one another, truly,
sincerely, unaffectedly—'without par-
tiality, and without hypocrisy.' And this
because the heart is in love with Jesus.
Our affection for one another springs
from our common relation to God. We
are one family, we love one another as
He loved us."—Ellen G. White Com-
ments, "SDA Bible Commentary," Vol.
5, p. 1140.
FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Acts of the Apostles," pages 547-549.
79